FleetMaster: Sink Battleships on Your iPhone

Fans of the classic Battleship game will want to get their hands on this freebie immediately. FleetMaster, designed by Digital Future, is every bit as addictive as the original Milton Bradley game.

FleetMaster gives you the option of playing “solo” versus a computer, or playing online with others through GameCenter. Once you begin, your subs and ships appear on the grid one at a time. Tap any place on the grid to place your ship there, and tap the rotate button in the corner if needed. If you don’t care where your ships are laid, tap “Auto Place” and the app will do it for you.

A wheel at the bottom shows how many shots you get, starting with five and working down to one. Tap once on a grid space to focus a compass on it, then double tap to fire. If you hit a part of your opponents ship, there’s a satisfying little explosion. If not, you just get a splash.

When you sink your opponent’s vessel, a message appears letting you know which one, and they’re tracked at the bottom of the screen so you can strategize.

For a free game, the graphics and sounds are really fantastic. I found myself putting off my review just to go back and play again and again – if you enjoyed the original Battleship game, I highly recommend checking FleetMaster out.

FleetMaster [iTunes Link] is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.